My grandson recently turned 18 months old. Because he was born very early, a micro-preemie, his developmental age is around 14 months old. He is now practicing standing with the support of his parents, nurses, and some of the furniture. He is small but very strong. He had to have a tracheostomy because having a tube in his airway in the hospital caused some damage to his trachea. The damage has since been repaired but he is not quite ready to get rid of the trach tube. That is the next thing to happen and we are all looking forward to it so he can talk and we will be able to hear his beautiful voice.

Earlier days at Children’s Hospital

Mommy love

Full of energy

Father and son

Hanging out with Daddy

Beautiful family

It will be a wonderful day when I can hear him call me Mèmè or Grandma. ❤

He is now 16 months old but his adjusted age due to prematurity is about 12 ½ months. So his developmental age is that of a 1 year old. He is sitting up but still working on standing. He was born very early but he is a little warrior and is very generous with hand clapping, high fives, and toothly smiles.

Here is an adorable photo (below) of him face-timing with his Daddy for the first time.

So glad to have the chance to spend time with my grandson today. Not only can he perform “Happy Baby pose” like a pro he will give me several high fives. He is not partial to long naps though. One of his nurses was trying to get him to go to sleep the other day and she would close her eyes to show him what she meant. He happily closed his eyes in response. This went on for a couple of times and he would laugh. He liked that new game. He has so much energy that I get tired just watching him in motion.

It has been a while since I have posted on my blog dedicated to being a new Grandmother. I thought I would be writing more. It is just that I am still getting to know my new grandson and it is taking a bit longer than I first anticipated. I am glad that my son and daugher-in-law do not live far away. So that is not the problem. It is because my grandson is so busy. A premature baby needs to have visits from various therapists, physical, occupational, and play to help him get the proper exercise and stimulation. There are nurses that help care for him while my daughter-in-law and son work. So he has lots of people coming to see him every week and Mèmè needs to wait her turn. I must be flexible.

He is growing and developing well. He is very alert and active. And he is more flexible physically than me for sure.

My mother in law taught me how to make homemade chicken soup when I was first married. I don’t make it regularly as I am not into cooking so much in recent years. I do like to make it for holiday dinners. I am out of practice because I was forgetting some of the ingredients. Tonight I will be taking my chicken soup and matzo balls over to my grandson’s other grandmother’s house. She is graciously hosting the dinner. This will be my grandson’s first Rosh Hashanah. He makes it a very special year. ❤

I had a chance to spend more time with my grandson recently. I am happy to report he is doing well and becoming much more aware of his surroundings and the people in it. He is active in moving all extremities and likes to grab for his mobile hanging over the side of his crib. I know he doesn’t recognize me yet but look forward to the day when he does and is happy to see me.

He is still in the NICU but plans are being put in place for him to come home. All these months it has been like we lived in cities far away from each other because he was restricted many times from having visitors, especially during the winter flu season. I would get texts, photos, videos, and occasional calls from his parents to tell me about his progress. So when I visit I feel like the out of town relative. He looks at me with his big eyes as if to say, “Who are you?”

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